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UNIONDALE, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 02: Devon Toews #25 of the New York Islanders tries the carry the puck around Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings during the second period at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum on February 02, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Devon Toews Goes for a Run

We’re used to seeing Nick Leddy take the puck in his own defensive zone and run it up the length of the ice to either create a scoring opportunity for someone else or for himself. It’s been vintage Leddy since the New York Islanders acquired him in 2014 for a bag of lower-tier prospects.

But outside of Nick Leddy, the Islanders haven’t had a defensive player that could headman the puck up the ice. Leaving the Islanders with limited options to get the puck out of danger. Until Devon Toews broke onto the scene.

We knew that Toews was a fast and smooth skating defenseman. We even knew that he was more of an offensive threat. But we didn’t how that would translate at the NHL level. It’s one thing to be able to skate yourself out of trouble and put up points at the NCAA and AHL level. It’s another thing to do it in the NHL.

Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings, Devon Toews showed us he’s the total package with a single run from the Isles zone and into the Kings zone. Here’s a GIF of the play.

Picking up the puck well inside the Islanders end, Toews exists the zone with a burst of speed and takes the puck straight through the neutral zone. With no Kings player around him, Toews is able to get a shot off and then pick up his own rebound forcing Quick to make a decent save to keep it out.

It was incredible to watch.

Devon Toews is taking leaps every time he’s on the ice. You’d swear he’s been in the NHL for years and not in his rookie season with 17 games to his name.